What’s happening this week around Thurston County

Monday, May 26

Memorial Day events at the Capitol: The Capitol Campus will host two Memorial Day events Monday, May 26. The Thurston County Veterans Council will host a Memorial Day Ceremony from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Legislative Building, on the third floor rotunda. Music begins 10:30, event starts 11 a.m. Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs will host the Olympia Thunder Run, an annual motorcycle rally. Motorcyclists gather at one of two starting locations, Eagle Leather in Lakewood or Northwest Harley Davidson in Lacey, and ride at 11:30 a.m. to the Capitol. They will then gather at the Vietnam War Memorial for a ceremony at 12:20 p.m. Cost is $10 for a single rider or $15 for doubles, with proceeds going to suicide prevention programs.

Wednesday, May 28

SPSCC hosts Machining Technologies Open House: South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) invites the community to its upcoming Machining Technologies Open House. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 28, from 3 to 7 p.m. in Building 3 of SPSCC’s Lacey Campus, 4224 Sixth Ave SE, Lacey. The Open House welcomes makers, creators, and problem solvers with a passion for working with their hands, solving challenging problems, and exploring high-tech equipment. Attendees will explore SPSCC’s state-of-the-art shop, watch machines in action, experience hands-on activities with advanced Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology guided by instructors with real-world experience, and get the chance to win exclusive precision tools in a giveaway. To learn more about the program, visit the SPSCC website.

Olympia World Affairs Council’s special speaker event: Steve Niva, a professor at The Evergreen State College, will speak on “The Authoritarian Playbook: Abroad and at Home” starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Lacey campus of South Puget Sound Community College, 4220 Sixth Ave SE. Learn more on the OWAC website.

Thursday, May 29

The 81st Mason County Forest Festival: From Thursday, May 29, to Sunday, June 1, there’ll be four days of fun, tradition, and timber pride going on in Shelton as Mason County celebrates its logging heritage and kicks off summer with a full schedule of family-friendly events. A carnival will be set up at First and Grove; KMAS will host Forest Festival Family Fun Night from 4-8 p.m. Friday at 425 Cota; the Goldsborough Creek Run/walk/jog will take place Saturday, as will the Firefighters Pancake Breakfast from 7-9 a.m. at 122 Franklin. The Paul Bunyan Grand Parade begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at Railroad & Franklin, followed by the Forest Festival Logging Show at 1 p.m. Saturday at Loop Field. The Kristmas Town Kiwanis Duck Drop will take place after the Logging Show Saturday at Loop Field; Rockin’ the Forest happens from 4-9 p.m. Saturday at Olympic Highway. Then the Manke Spectacular Fireworks happens at 10 p.m. Saturday, also at Olympic Highway. Sunday’s main event is the Car Showoff starting at 10 a.m. at Olympic Highway. Find a full schedule and event details on the Forest Festival website.

Friday, May 30

Olympia Zine Fest: The fest returns with a full weekend of festivities. It kicks off with a Zine-a-thon at the Olympia Timberland Library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE, on Friday, May 30, from 7-9 pm. The main event is on Saturday, May 31, from 11 am to 4 pm at The Olympia Center on Columbia Street Northwest in downtown Olympia and will feature 80+ zine vendors, workshops, DJs, DIY screenprinting, quiet zine reading area, raffle, and more. The weekend will culminate with a dance party closing event at DECAY (Diverse Events & Creative Arts Yard), 402 Washington St. NE, from 8-10 pm. For more info about the festival, visit the Zine Fest website.

Saturday, May 31

Capital City Pride pub crawl: Capital City Pride is hosting Sip N’ Seek, a pub crawl fundraiser happening Saturday, May 31, in downtown Olympia. This event invites community members to explore local bars and pubs, all while supporting Capital City Pride’s 2025 3-Day June Pride Festival. Participants will have an afternoon of pub hopping from 1-6 p.m., visiting a selection of local favorites. The day wraps up with a Drag Show at 8 p.m., included with every crawl ticket, bringing together drag artistry and community celebration. Tickets are $20 for pre-sale and $25 at check in.

Energize Thurston application closing May 31: Time is running out to join the Energize Thurston program and receive free or discounted heat pumps or heat pump water heaters. The deadline to submit your application is May 31. Energize Thurston is a group purchase program that makes it faster, easier and more affordable for Thurston County residents to install energy efficient heat pump technologies. Heat pumps are a reliable high-efficiency electric heating and cooling solution that uses about half of the energy of traditional electric heating. This program offers a group purchase discount of at least 10% up to $1,200, and participants can stack rebates and incentives to save more than $5,000 on qualifying equipment. A limited number of no-cost heat pump installations are also available for income-qualified households. To qualify for Energize Thurston’s program-exclusive discounts and incentives, participants must attend an educational workshops. The last in-person workshop is May 26 at the Olympia Timberland Library from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the Workshop on Demand will be available online through May 31 for those who are unable to attend a workshop in person. Register for a program workshop at energizethurston.org.

Traffic Box voting closes: Olympia’s Traffic Box Wrap Project transforms sidewalk traffic boxes into public art. Vote for your favorite designs on Engage Olympia — 90 submissions by local artists of all ages are up for selection. Voting ends May 31. The top 10 designs will be installed citywide; selected artists receive a $500 honorarium. You must be registered on Engage Olympia to vote. Sign in or create an account to participate. Winners will be announced this summer, with installations rolling out in summer/fall 2025.

WET Science Center Green Spring Cleaning: Enjoy eco-friendly hands-on activities and make a cleaning product that is safer for your family, pets, and the planet. Head to the WET Science Center at 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia, between 10:30 am and 2 pm Saturday for a presentation hosted by Thurston County Public Health. Admission is free.

Intertribal celebration: Gather at The Evergreen State College for a celebration of Native and Indigenous culture at 4 p.m. Saturday at the college’s House of Welcome, Longhouse, 2800 Dogtooth Lane NW. Enjoy traditional dances, music, art, and more from various Indigenous communities. Everyone is welcome. The event is hosted by the Native Pathways Program Student Governance, which works to enhance the educational experience for Native and Indigenous students.

Sunday, June 1

Frank Chopp celebration of life: Chopp, who served as Speaker of the Washington state House of Representatives for 20 years, will be remembered at a ceremony from 2 to 5:30 pm Sunday, June 1, at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, 11100 NE Sixth St. Doors will open at 1 pm and the program will start at 2 pm. The celebration of life will also be filmed by TVW to be viewed virtually at a later date. The family asks that attendees register for the event by May 26 at www.everloved.com/life-of/frank-chopp/funeral.

Would you like to have your event included in our weekly What’s Happening calendar? Email the details to news@theolympian.com at least 10 days before the event. Please put What’s Happening in the subject line.

This story was originally published May 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM.